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WORDS MARK BAILEY | PHOTO GETTY
THE BUZZ
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PROFILE
16
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TRAVELLER
LONDON
For six years,American sprinterMaurice
Greenewas the fastestmanwho had
ever lived. InJune 1999, the Kansas-born
athlete shattered themen’s 100mworld
recordwith a 9.79-second dash and his
historic feat wasn’tmatched until 2005.
During that time, Greenewon four Olympic
medals, including gold in the 100mand
4x100mrelay at the SydneyOlympics
in 2000.Now retired, the 37-year-old
combines business interests and coaching
workwith his role as a pundit for
Eurosport.As someonewho’s
seen both sides, he’s ideally
placed to reveal the secret to
winning gold.Andwhat really
does go on behind the scenes?
We asked theOlympic legend to
reveal all…
Will London be as good as Beijing?
“Oh, yeah, it’s going to be
fabulous. London is an incredible city and
it’s a place that people love to come and
visit anyway. China put on a very good
Olympics, but I expect London to be just
as good, if not better. I’mexcited, not just
as a former Olympian, but because I now
train athletes, like [British female 100m
sprinter] Montell Douglas, so I feel very
close to the action.”
Do you miss being a professional sportsman?
“Oh, no, not at all.The only thing I miss
is the competition. I certainly don’t miss
the training or eating all those vegetables.
I have a different role now, but I have
athletes who have put their careers inmy
hands, so I still feel pressure. I can enjoy
watching as a fan now though. I’m looking
forward to the track and field events, the
diving, the swimming and the basketball.”
As the world gears up for the London 2012 Games, we spoke to former 100m Olympic
champion
Maurice Greene
about what it takes to make sporting history
Greene and Gold
Q+A
What are your memories of winning gold?
“Standing on the podium in Sydney was
an incrediblemoment. It sounds stupid,
but it really felt like a dream; like I was
outside of my body and looking at this guy
with a goldmedal.There are nowords I
can use tomake people understand how
happy I actually felt.”
What is life like in the OIympic Village?
“The atmosphere is great, because you’re
there with all the greatest athletes in the
world.Youwalk to a restaurant and you
see all these famous faces. It’s a cool place
to be. But I have to admit, I spent most of
my time watchingmovies.”
What are the medal celebrations like?
“Some people have finished and are
partying, and others are nervous before a
race, so it can be strange.You can imagine
if someone wins amedal after four years
of training they go pretty crazy – I had
a huge party in a club in Sydney – but
I always had fun as an athlete.We used
to go toMonaco, hire all the fast cars, and
drive around in Porsches, Ferraris and
AstonMartins.That was amazing.”
What makes a gold-medal winner?
“Mental strength. In anOlympic final, any
one of the athletes has the physical ability
towin that race. Can you take it to the next
level at the right moment, stay focused
and believe in yourself? If you can, you
will make history. I wasmentally strong,
because I loved to prove people wrong.
I wanted to do the impossible.”
Are 100m runners the superstars in the
Olympic Village?
“The 100m is the heavyweight
championship of the world. Every athlete
knows that.You have to enjoy that. I used
to say that themore people watching, the
better I was going to perform.”
Who will win the men’s 100m in 2012?
“I think [Jamaican sprinter]
Yohan Blake has a good chance,
even though everybody talks
about Usain Bolt. If Usain is
running like he did last year, he
won’t break any records, but
if he’s running like he was in
China then he could do it again.
Yohan andUsain train together
and that’s good. I trainedwith
[Trinidad andTobago sprinter]
Ato Boldon and [American athlete] Jon
Drummond, andwe pushed each other
every day.That’s what enabledme to do
what I did.”
What do you like about London?
“I love London.There’s a nightclub called
Chinawhite, which I love. I remember
a private club in St James’s that had
great food – if you could get in. I love
the old buildings.America is not as
old as European countries, so seeing
architecture that has been standing for
centuries still amazesme. I love going
to the south of France and Sweden too.
I always advise people to try new things
when they travel. Some people won’t
eat new things or do new things – if you
don’t, youmight miss out on the best
experiences in the world.”
“YohanBlake has a good
chance [of winning] gold,
even though everybody
talks about UsainBolt.”